Chapter 4 Motion in Two and Three Dimensions

1. Chapter 4 Motion in Two and Three Dimensions In this chapter we will continue to study the motion of objects without the restriction we put in Chapter 2 to move along a straight line. Instead we will consider motion in a plane (two-dimensional motion) and motion in space (three-dimensional motion). The following vectors will be defined for two- and three-dimensional motion: Displacement Average and instantaneous velocity Average and instantaneous acceleration We will consider in detail projectile motion and uniform circular motion as examples of motion in two dimensions. Finally, we will consider relative motion, i.e., the transformation of velocities between two reference systems that move with respect to each other with constant velocity. (4-1)

2. P Position Vector (4-2)

3. t1 t2 Displacement Vector (4-3)

4. t t + Δt Average and Instantaneous Velocity Following the same approach as in Chapter 2 we define the average velocity as We define the instantaneous velocity (or more simply the velocity) as the limit: (4-4)

5. t t + Δt The three velocity components are given by the equations (4-5)

6. Average and Instantaneous Acceleration The average acceleration is defined as: We define the instantaneous acceleration as the limit: Note: Unlike velocity, the acceleration vector does not have any specific relationship with the path. The three acceleration components are given by the equations (4-6)

7. Projectile Motion The motion of an object in a vertical plane under the influence of gravitational force is known as “projectile motion.” The projectile is launched with an initial velocity The horizontal and vertical velocity components are: g Projectile motion will be analyzed in a horizontal and a vertical motion along the x- and y-axes, respectively. These two motions are independent of each other. Motion along the x-axis has zero acceleration. Motion along the y-axis has uniform acceleration ay= -g. (4-7)

8. g (4-8)

9. (4-9)

10. sin 3/2  O /2 t A O R (4-10)

11. t A g H Maximum Height H (4-11)

12. t A g H Maximum Height H (encore) (4-12)

13. Uniform Circular Motion: A particle is in uniform circular motion if it moves on a circular path of radius r with constant speedv. Even though the speed is constant, the velocity is not. The reason is that the direction of the velocity vector changes from point to point along the path. The fact that the velocity changes means that the acceleration is not zero. The acceleration in uniform circular motion has the following characteristics: 1. Its vector points toward the center C of the circular path, thus the name “centripetal.” 2. Its magnitude a is given by the equation Q The time T it takes to complete a full revolution is known as the “period.” It is given by the equation r r C P r R (4-13)

14. P C C A (4-14)

15. Relative Motion in One Dimension: The velocity of a particle P determined by two different observers A and B varies from observer to observer. Below we derive what is known as the “transformation equation” of velocities. This equation gives us the exact relationship between the velocities each observer perceives. Here we assume that observer B moves with a known constant velocity vBA with respect to observer A. Observers A and B determine the coordinates of particle P to be xPA and xPB , respectively. (4-15)

16. Relative Motion in Two Dimensions:Here we assume that observer B moves with a known constant velocity vBA with respect to observer A in the xy-plane. (4-16)